Proposals appropriate for submission to this topic area include those that focus on all aspects of telepractice as a model of service delivery for speech-language pathologists and audiologists in a variety of settings including schools, medical centers, rehabilitation hospitals, community health centers, outpatient clinics, universities, clients’/patients’ homes, residential health care facilities (including private practice), childcare centers, and corporate settings. Included in this topic area is the use of technology to provide services either via telepractice or in-person across the disciplines and work settings (e.g., the use of applications for the provision of services and/or data collection, virtual reality, augmented reality). Interprofessional education, practice, and/or research that addresses the implementation of interprofessional competencies within curricular or practice models or the evaluation of collaborative care outcomes specific to telepractice should also be included in this topic area. Sustainable and long-term approaches to telepractice which align with healthcare, clinical, and educational trends are welcome.

Research

• Translational, applied, or implementation research related to telepractice with outcomes at the system level

Professional Education and/or Clinical Application

• Telepractice service delivery types and models
• Licensure, ethical, legal, security, and privacy issues related to telepractice service delivery
• Concepts related to reimbursement for services delivered via telepractice
• Concepts related to identifying, understanding, selecting, applying, and managing technology including equipment, hardware, software and digital media used to deliver services via telepractice
• Concepts related to the identification and selection of clients to receive assessment and intervention services via telepractice
• Multicultural, linguistic, and intersectional variables related to technology selection and adoption and telepractice digital skills
• Identification and selection of assessments and interventions appropriate for use with telepractice
• Training and use of support personnel in delivering services via telepractice
• Preservice and in-service models of training that support telepractice service delivery
• Interprofessional models and related issues in delivering services via telepractice
• Evaluating effectiveness, outcomes or cost/benefit of services delivered via telepractice
• Health equity in Telepractice including potentials to increase access to healthcare and/or increase health disparities; the intersection of policy and social determinants of health
• Concepts related to telepractice adaptation, incorporation, and accommodation approaches and/or methods in support of neuroaffirming care, flexibility in care delivery, and therapeutic structuring in the digital environment

Related Topics

Proposals involving technology but primarily focused on:

• Use of AAC technology, devices, and applications should be submitted to the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) topic area.
• Technology use related to models of teaching and learning in higher education should be submitted to the Academic and Clinical Education Practice Models topic area.
• Technology use related to models of in-person supervision, precepting, and telesupervision should be submitted to the Supervision and Precepting topic area.